SYNMIKRO symposium

Today I attended the 2015 SYNMIKRO symposium in the beautiful Alte Aula (see pictures below) in the old part of Philipps Universitat. SYNMIKRO is a Marburg consortium for Synthetic Biology. The theme of the symposium today was biosensors and regulatory circuits. What an amazing collection of talks with many different examples of biosensor use including light regulated biosensors that modulate glucose and lipid levels in mammalian cells and in turn activate genes for restoring homeostasis, to biosensors to monitor chemicals such as arsenic in the environment. The arsenic biosensor has been trialled in Bangladesh where there are something like 50 million wells for drinking water that need to be monitored. There was another great talk from a scientist at SANOFI on the use of S. cerevisiae as a cell factory for synthesising the antimalarial compound artemisin done in collaboration with various groups around the world on a no profit/no loss basis and funded by the Gates foundation - no less than about 8 genes had to be introduced into yeast. But now they are producing tons of the product. They have also metabolically engineered yeast to make the anti-inflammatory, hydrocortisone - some very sophisticated gene engineering. One little snippet I enjoyed was the use of some cells engineered with a biosensor to detect oil spills in the ocean but when they got to sea to do their tests they realised the Dutch government had no regulations on the use of GM microbes on ships - never mind the impact of the oil! The opening talk was almost science fiction where they were working on 'mind control of gene expression' using a wireless powered optogenetic implant that responded to electrical signals. On the more frivolous side a blue light sensor to activate NO synthesis to replace the blue pill!